The DO's, The DONT's and Everything IN-BETWEEN
by Recklis
Summary: He always hears them tell him not to...This is his silent response to the word DON'T. Steve's POV...


**_Disclaimer**I own none of these guys...Still working on my angles but I think I Steve's okay with this :P lol._**

 ** _This is a short piece on what I think goes through Steve's mind every time he hears the word DON'T. I hope you all enjoy it. All mistakes are my own. Your comments and input to better my writing will be highly appreciated Xxx_**

 ** _The DO'S, The DON'T'S and everything IN-BETWEEN_**

"You **** ** _don't_** have to do this." Steve tells him softly.

Chin shakes his head. "I got this. **_Don't_** worry about it, Steve. I'll handle the media."

But Steve worries. He worries because Chin is going to go out there and do what _he_ should be doing-stand in front of the firing squad while they tear Five 0 to shreds for that one casualty after a tiring kidnapping case that was thankfully closed. They were still reeling from the effects of having lost an innocent life even though they won this round. The perpetrator had been caught and put behind bars already, families were reunited, the Governor was off the hook and still, Chin was ready to take one more for the team.

Chin was stoic on most days. Calm and collected. As serene as the Island himself. He'd faced a huge loss but somehow pulled himself together and carried on doing what he did best. He was reliable and solid and level headed in most situations, and he could take down the worst of the worst without so much as breaking a sweat.

When Chin said **_'_** ** _DON'T'_** , you just didn't fight him on it. End of story.

Kono's **_'_** ** _DON'T'_** was something else.

She nods while he speaks, listening carefully to his instructions, offering her own input wherever she needs to, confirming the details before she has to go in. She's the tiniest of them all, capable of getting into the small wormhole they'd created without the terrorist's knowledge. The building had been rigged with explosives and there are hostages to consider. Any one of them seen inside could trigger an angry retaliation. All the entrances had been covered by the enemy while the good guys stood like dummies just on the threshold unable to gain ground on them. The roads have been cleared for the firestorm about to take place and time is running out. Steve knows that Kono can handle the heat but his orders to her were to remain undetected. No contact. Just get them a door unlocked and get out.

 _But it's Kono…with a slightly wild streak, much like his own, and he's forced to give her one last warning._

"Kono, **_Don't_** engage them, you hear?"

She grins. "Got it Boss."

"Stay safe." He whispers into the coms.

"Yup." She chuckles in return and gets going.

With the op in motion his nerves are coiled tight. She's their youngest team member. He'd promised to protect her for as long as he could. It was a promise he intended to keep. His gut churns, hands settling and twisting on his belt, straightening out his tac vest, testing his earpiece, eyes searching and alert. The voice inside his head is reluctant to give him the confidence his face shows while one of his own is in danger. Fingers itch to grab his weapon and get moving as soon as she gives the word. And then she breaks the silence. Just a moment before a gunshot follows. His heart in his throat, Steve screams for S.W.A.T to get moving and rushes to the scene before all hell breaks loose.

They do their jobs and tie up all the loose ends albeit a little too late, and get everyone to safety. The building does not go up in flames thanks to Kono tackling the trigger-man. But she's bleeding.

" ** _Don't_** sweat it Boss. It's just a scratch." She grins over her cousin's shoulder as he stands outside the ambulance keeping her company while they patch her up.

Steve's jaw clenches. Just a scratch that could have been a life threatening hole if the pig's aim was a little to the left. He wants to break something. Wants to cocoon her in bubble wrap and hide her away, but she's a trained cop and a damned good sniper and he knows she can handle more than he wants her to.

"I told you not to engage him." Steve scolds anyway, and there's no heat behind his words, just raw concern.

Her crooked smile is sincere when she looks up at him and winks. "Learned from the best, Boss."

Steve's not sure whether to return her gesture with pride or fear.

The unlit cigar sits tightly between his teeth as he grins at Steve, wagging a finger in amusement. Their newest team member is always a smart mouth. He watches them most times with a smirk on his face and mischief in his eyes. Grover knows which buttons to press, and he does so, but only when he knows he'll get his way. He's learned them well. Works perfectly with each of them and is secure in his place in their little Ohana.

His **_'_** ** _DON'T'_** is just for the heck of it. He knows Steve. Knows he can count on him and vice versa. Their relationship wasn't built in a day. Respect was hard earned on both sides. Grover pretends to smoke his cigar and snorts. He looks pretty much like a cat who got the cream. " ** _Don't_** back out now, brother. I won, fair and square."

"You **_don't_** have to rub it in." Steve gripes with a pout.

"I'm taking the wife away for that weekend getaway you lost, and you're on babysitting duty for my two brats as promised." Grover dances around him and pulls out his phone to spread the good news. Steve watches him, happiness shining in his eyes. Things are never predictable for them, but this time Steve knew how this bet would pan out.

Yes, he'd lost to the big guy. Yes, his end of the deal was to hand over his voucher and stay over with Grover's kids while the adults got to do some adulting. He'd never bail on his friends. Lose bets occasionally on purpose yes, but not bail… As much as he liked to pretend it irritated him, he loved seeing them happy. What was the point of sleeping alone at a hotel for two nights when he was single? This way he had company and a perfectly good couch at Grover's.

Besides, he has never run away from a challenge before and he isn't about to start now.

The **_'_** ** _DON'T'_** that always rubs him wrong is Danny's **_'_** ** _DON'T'S'._**

Danny is his best friend. As close as a brother because his kids even call him Uncle Steve. Everyone who knows Danny, knows Danny rants. He doesn't just rant, he raves too. He raves and waves and wildly gesticulates. His hands would scream if they could. Because his actions are as loud as his words. Usually it doesn't even warrant a performance that epic, but it's Danny. Seriously, Steve lets it slide. Sometimes.

There isn't anything really, that he wouldn't do for Danny.

Sometimes he has to add in his own two cents. Defend himself, you know? Try to make his best friend understand, but again…its Danny…He'd listen to nothing if he's in the middle of a one sided verbal war. Half the time Steve tries to tune him out, but he's loud. He's loud and in your face and almost rabid when trying to get a point across. He guilts you into taking him seriously and he does it so easily that if he'd have been a SEAL, they'd probably have called _him_ Smooth Dog.

Like you know, '' ** _Don't_** be a giant ingrate and put the gun away. I have kids Steven! I'd really like to get home to them."

As if he didn't have the kid's best interests at heart…

Or, " ** _Don't_** drive like a freaking maniac! I just had lunch you shmuck. You want me to hurl?"

Of course, he wouldn't want that. He'd be left cleaning the upholstery…

" ** _Don't_** forget I gave you MY liver…" Yeah…Steve knew that. He was _living_ with it every day. No pun intended. And even if he tried to forget, that long pink scar running over his flesh would remind him every damned day, even before Danny did.

But when Danny said, " ** _Don't_** be ungrateful…" Well, that knocked him worse than the recovery of said liver. It hurt, because he wasn't yet ready to die. Wasn't ready to give up on the good fight for the world he lived in. He wasn't prepared to leave his Ohana behind without knowing they'd be taken care of. Taken care of from his hard work in cleaning up the Island they called home. And Danny…

When he asks, **_Don't_** you think…" That doesn't just hurt. It breaks him. Because all he does really, is think. He thinks about all the time he spent alone, even in a room full of people. He thinks about all his failures, his flaws. He thinks about how wonderful the little girl he once met turned out to be such an awesome teen. Grace was growing into a beautiful young woman, stubborn and intelligent like Danny himself. He thinks of the little guy, Charlie, and how he almost never had the chance to know his father. He thinks of Kono, who's short marriage was rougher than most stormy seas, and Chin, who suddenly, after losing everything dear to him had finally found reason to live again. He thinks about Cath, and hopes she's well, safe. Strong willed like his Mother…

He thinks about Grover, and his wife and kids and the family and life he's managed to build even through all the things they had to face. He thinks about how lucky his friends are and how lucky he is to have them. He thinks a lot about Nahele too. The kid was nearly an adult now. Soon, he'd be off living his life and breaking hearts.

And he thinks of Mary and her sweet little girl. The one tiny person who managed to turn her life around without even trying.

Sometimes, when he can't sleep, he thinks of all the missions he's been on. Some successful. Some painful. Some downright complicated and so damned classified he can't even share it. He thinks of the people he's helped, those he failed, those who lost family by his hands, and those who had them returned because of what he was trained to do. He thinks about how much his life has changed since he settled down here and how much he's opened up against his better judgement, to those people he kept close, and sometimes, he thinks about just how little the really know him.

Steve thinks…a lot about what they **_DON'T_** know.

All the **_in-betweens_** …All that he thinks about between the **_do's_** and the **_Don't's_**.

They **_don't_** know how lonely his big house is when the lights go out. How he spends his mornings outside in the surf or on a run because there's no one to have breakfast with. How he knows most of the eating places outside of his home because meals for one come cheaper that way. He thinks about the wife he almost had and the kids he hasn't yet.

It's that same thinking that keeps him dreading to lose one of his team. He values them more than he does his own life. He may call them Ohana, but each of them had Ohana that didn't include him. Danny, Grover, Chin and even their youngest, Kono, they all had family on the island apart from him. All he had was them. His closest friends, most treasured gifts. And despite what anyone thought, he would never deliberately put them in harms way.

He thinks of the **** ** _DON'T'S_** and he acts because of it. He's trained to think on the move, for a mission, while under duress, in the moment. What he wasn't taught was how to stop thinking. How to share his feelings. How to show his Ohana what they mean to him with words. Steve hopes too. He hopes that at least Danny will understand what drives him. Hopefully before he dies. He yearns for love, for peace, for normalcy. For acceptance.

He's a simple man with a complicated past. All the **_DON'T'S_** in the world wont stop him if it meant they saw tomorrow. He'd go against every single one without batting an eye, because in the end, if he didn't, then they would. Someone had to **** ** _DO_** the **_DON'T'S_** and everything **_In-Between_** …


End file.
